| 7/13/2006 3:00:00 PM | Email this article • Print this article |
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| The U-7 Formulaboats.com II at Madison on July 2. (Staff photo by Ken Ritchie) |
| | ABRA Points Standings | ABRA National Points Standings
(Updated Standings after Valleyview results made official)
Boats
1. U-7 Forumulaboats.com II 3,309
2. U-5 Formulaboats.com 2,974
3. U-3 Cooper Racing 2,682
4. U-6 Oh Boy! Oberto 2,667
5. U-1 Ellstrom Manfacturing 2,580
6. U-37 Schumacher Racing 2,273
7. U-2.25 Superior Racing 1,387
8. U-21 Freedom Racing 810
9. U-100 Leland Racing 5098
10. U-10 USA Racing Partners 424
Drivers
1. Mike Allen 3,054
2. Mike Weber 2,974
3. Jimmy King 2,682
4. Steve David 2,667
5. Dave Villwock 2,580
6. Jean Theoret 2,273
7. Ken Muscatel 1.260
8. Greg Hopp 509
9. Nate Brown 424
10. Kevin Aylesworth 0
11. David Williams 0
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Rookie Allen to keep win but pay fine for prop violation
First career win gives Allen, U-7 series points lead
Courier Sports Staff
It took three days, but Mike Allen’s win Sunday at Valleyfield, Quebec, was finally ruled official Wednesday.
The rookie driver of the U-7 Formulaboats.com II outdueled Steve David and the U-6 Oh Boy! Oberto/Miss Madison in the final two-boat heat of Les Regates de Valleyfield this weekend near Montreal.
The win was listed as unofficial, however, when a post-race inspection showed that the propeller on the U-7 was wider than the 16 inch-diameter allowed by the American Boat Racing Association.
The U-7 team said after the race that the extra width was caused by “laying over,” a situation that occurs when the blades of a propeller literally flatten out during use. The props, which cost about $15,000, are normally good for about 150 hours of run time in water, but “laying over” can begin prior to that.
The prop in question, part of the equipment the Formulaboats.com team purchased from the former Miss Budweiser program in the offseason, had been used less than 100 hours. Formula Boats team manager Mike Weber said the violation was unintentional and merely an oversight on the part of the team.
“We got the prop from the Bud people and it had 93 minutes on it and we had run it most of the weekend,” Weber said. “It was an oversight on our part. We didn’t have one of those 16-inch rings, but we have one being Fed-Ex’ed to us right now. It’s not going to happen again.”
The ABRA delayed making the race official to have the opportunity to check the profile of the prop to determine if “laying over” was indeed involved. Since the ABRA does not have equipment to check such profiles on site, the final results were delayed until the propeller could be electronically profiled at Wolverine Prop in Southfield, Mich.
With the ruling, Allen was officially awarded first place in Valleyfield and retained full points for the win. However, the ABRA has assessed an unspecified monetary fine in the incident.
Not only was this the first win for Allen, it was the first unlimited win for owner Ted Porter of Decatur, Ind., and his Formula Boats team. The U-7, along with its sister ship the U-5, are both former Miss Budweiser hulls.
In retaining full points for the race, Allen and the U-7 take over the top spot in the national points race for both drivers and boats.
Allen and the U-7 Formulaboats.com II lead both updated standings with 3,309 points while the U-5 Formulaboats.com and teammate Weber are second in both at 2,974. The U-3 Master Tire and Jimmy King are third at 2,682 the U-6 Oh Boy! Oberto/Miss Madison and Steve David are fourth at 2,667, and Dave Villwock and the U-1 Miss Elam Plus round out the top five at 2,580.
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